Closure



Aug. 30, 1938.

A. J. J. LENTINE CLOSURE Filed Dec. 5, 1957 Ava/M11 Patented Aug. so, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" 7 Claims.

My invention relates to closures and more particularly to closures for containers suchv as collapsible tubes or thelike. These collapsible tubes are generally made of lead, tin, or other soft metal 'or alloy, and contain plastic contents which are extruded from the tube in response to pressure against its walls. v

One of the objects of my invention is'to provide a novel form of cap for. a collapsible tube which may permit the extrusion of the contents without necessitating the removal of the cap from the tube.

Another object ofmyinvention is to provide a novel form of closure for a collapsible tube which when the walls of the tube are subjected to external pressure, shall provide an opening for the emission of the contents, and, upon the re.- lease of such pressure, shall seal the tube against further emission as well as protect the contents of the tube from the entrance of foreign substances. Another object of my invention is to provide a cap for a collapsible tube which is inseparable from said tube during its normal use and which is equipped with supplementary inner walls to guide the contents of the tube to an openingformed in the resiliency of said lips enabling them to be easily cleaned.

Another object of my invention is to provide means in combination with such a closure which shall prevent accidental discharge of the contents, shall prevent. tampering with the tube contents by rendering said action apparent, and shall operate to protect the closure from the deteriorating action of air, heat, etc., these last mentioned advantages being present before the tube is used by the ultimate consumer.

Other objects of my invention will appear in the following description, it being understood that the above general statement of the objects of my I invention is intended to explain and not to limit it in any manner.

Fig. 1 is a section along the line II of Fig. 2 illustrating the tube before it has been used by the consumer.

Fig. 2 is a section along the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

56 Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section illustrating'the action or the closure when pressure is applied to the walls of the tube. l

Fig. 4 is a view of the cap, slightly in perspective.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the device which, 5 is discarded when the tube is to be first used.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the guide members.

Referring to the drawing, T represents a tube which is well known in the art, said tube having 10 thin walls of flexible material and containing paste, cosmetics or like plastic materials. The tube T is formed with an integral flange I0 and disposed centrally of said flange I0 is an opening II which communicates with the interior of the 15 tube.

A cap I3,made of resilient material, preferably live rubber, has an inwardly extending flange II and the wall II of said flange l5 engages said flange I0 and thereby displacement of said cap I3- 20 is prevented when pressure thereto is applied from within said tube.

As seen in Fig. 4 the cap I3 has a slit I4 formed therein for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

Within the cap I3 I provide webs I6 preferably 5 of an elastic material such as live rubber and said webs may be held within said cap by a frictional engagement, between the flange Ill and the flange l5. However, various means may be employed t retain said webs I6 secure in the cap I3. 30

The ends I! of the resilient webs I6 are caused to protrude beyond the outer extremity of the cap I3 through the slit l4, forming lips.

A member 20, which may be made of waxed paper or the like is inserted in the opening I8 be- 5 tween the lips I! before the cap I3 is assembled with the tube T. Said member 20 has the diverging tails 2| and .22.

The operation of my device is as follows:

Referring to Fig. 3, it is seen that when pressure 40 is applied to the walls of the tube T, the plastic contents thereof, travelling through the opening I I, are guided by the webs l6 toward the opening I8. When the contents reach the opening I8, the

- pressure of the webs It causes the slit ll of the 45 does not contact the discharged contents. This maintains the cap it in a sanitary condition. In addition, an important feature of said resilient lips i1 resides in the fact that they are easily cleaned by passing an object, such as a toothbrush, lightly across them.

Before the tube has been'sold to the ultimate consumer, there is a danger of accidental discharge, tampering with the contents, or the effects of heat may cause the lips l'l to adhere to each other if they are in direct contact for a very long period of time. I therefore provide a member 20 which is inserted in the opening l8. Thus, if the tube is pressed before the member 20 is removed, the contents merely impinge against the tails 2| and 22 and these flatten against the inner walls of the cap l3, preventing the discharge of the contents. The contents being incapable of discharge before the member 20 is removed, the consumer is protected against tampering with same. In addition, the member 20, interposed between the" lips i1, prevent said lips from uniting due to the effect of heat over long periods of time. Thus, the member 20 has a triple function. When the tube is to be first used, the consumer merely pulls the member 20 out and discards it.

I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention but it is obvious that numerous changes and omissions may be made without departing from its spirit. For example, while I have illustrated the cap l3 as being engaged by the flange l0, it may be retained against the neck of the tube by a wire or other fastening means.

I claim:

1. In a container having an opening formed therein, a closure therefor, said closure comprising a cap made of resilient material, said cap having a slit formed therein, and a guide member extending through saidslit, the resilient walls of said slit abutting against and having a compressive action on said guide member.

2. In a container having an opening formed therein, a closure therefor, said closure comprising a cap made of resilient material and having a slit formed therein and a guide member extending through said slit, said guide member comprising a pair of flaps of bendable material.

3. In a container having an opening formed therein, a closure therefor, said closure compris ing a cap made of resilient material and having a slit formed therein and a guide member extending through said slit, said guide member comprising a pair of flaps of resilient material and forming lips at the outer extremity of said cap. i 4. The combination with a collapsible tube having plastic contents and having an opening formed at one end thereof, of a closure therefor, said closure comprising a cap having a slit formed therein, and a guard to prevent accidental discharge of said contents, said guard comprising a thin web of material interposed in said discharge slit and removable from said tube only through the external application of force thereto.

5. In a container for plastic material, said container having an opening formed therein, a closure therefor, said closure comprising a cap having a slit formed therein and being normally inseparable from said tube, a guard to prevent accidental discharge of the plastic contents, said guard comprising a web of thin material having diverging tails, said guard being interposed within said slit and being removable from the tube only by the external application of force thereto.

6. In a container for plastic material, said container having an opening formed therein, a closure therefor, said closure comprising a cap made of elastic material and having a slit formed therein, guide members secured within said cap and having their opposite ends protruding through said slit and a guard comprising a web of thin material having diverging tails, said guard being interposed between that portion of said guide members which adjoin said slit, said guide member being removable from said tube by the ex-.

ternal application of force thereto.

'7. The combination with acollapsible tube having plastic contents and having an opening formed at one end thereof, of a closure therefor, said closure comprising a cap made of resilient material and secured to the tube, said cap having a slit formed therein, guide members comprising two webs of resilient material secured at one of their ends within said cap and having their other ends protruding from said slit and forming lips at the outer extremity of said cap, and a guard supported between said lips, said guar'd having diverging tails within said cap and adapted to be removed by the external application of force thereto when the tube is first used.

ANTHONY J. LENTINE. 

